Skating Polly

Over the past decade, few artists have embodied the unbridled freedom of punk like Skating Polly. Formed when stepsisters Kelli Mayo and Peyton Bighorse were just nine and 13,the Oklahoma-bred band have channelled their chameleonic musicality into a sound theycall“ugly-pop,”unruly and subversive and wildly melodic. With Kelli’s brother Kurtis Mayo joining on drums in 2017, they’ve also built a close-knit community of fans while earning the admiration of their musical forebears, a feat that’s found them collaborating with icons like X’s Exene Cervenka and Beat Happening’s Calvin Johnson, touring with Babes In Toyland, and starring as the subject of a feature-length documentary. On their double album Chaos County Line, Skating Polly reach a whole new level of self-possession, ultimately sharing their most expansive and emotionally powerful work to date.

The follow-up to 2018’s The Make It All Show, Chaos County Line finds Skating Polly working again with Brad Wood, the acclaimed producer behind indie-rock classics like Liz Phair’s Exile in Guyville. As their songs journey from art-punk to noise-rock to piano-driven power-pop, the band matches that musical complexitywitha sharply honednarrative voicethat manifests incountlessforms(ultravividpoetry,diary-like confession,fearlesslydetailed storytelling, etc.).Not only the outcomeof theirconstant growth as songwriters,Chaos County Line’sscope anddepthhas much to do withSkating Polly’snewly heightenedclarityofvision.“All thesesongs are the most special to me ofanything I’ve ever written, and I think Kelli feels the same,” says Peyton.“In the past I didn’t alwayswrite with a clear purpose, but this time I knew exactly what I wanted to say.Weboth ended upwritingabout the most difficult emotional experiences we’ve everbeen through, and instead ofbeing terrified of saying exactly what I was feeling it just all came out so naturally.”Whether they’reopening upaboutmatters internal (identity,disassociation,unhealthy copingmechanisms) orexternal(obsession,deception, gaslighting), Skating Pollyimbuethatoutpouringwith anunfetteredemotional truth.On songslikeChaos County Line’sfreneticlead single“HickeyKing,” Kelli and Peytontrade off vocals as theyshare their distinct perspectives onclosely relatedexperiences—inthis case, theminefieldofpower dynamics insex andrelationships.“In Peyton’sverse she’s talking about never knowing how far to go orhowmuch of yourself togive to someone,and when my part comes crashing in it’s about guys being possessive and always trying to leave theirmark on you,” Kelli says. “To me it’s the most Skating Polly song on the record, because it’s allthese different energies happening at once.”Meanwhile, on “I’m Sorry For Always Apologizing,”Skating Pollydelivera bouncypiece of bubblegum-punkin which Kelli calls herself out oncertainmessy behaviorinher past.And on “Double Decker,”Peytonexamines her ownpossiblyself-sabotagingpatterns, magnifying thesong’smood of confusionwithadizzyingguitar solo andbreakneckvocal performance.Elsewhere onChaos County Line, Skating Pollyofferup moments ofunabashed fun—“Rabbit Food,”for instance, serves upapurerushof punk deliriumspotlightingKelli’s gift for infusing so muchpsychodramainto her vocalwork.Over the course ofits18kaleidoscopictracks,Chaos County Lineembracesthe kind ofcombustibleemotionalitythat comes fromfullyuncompromisedself-expression.“I thinkon thisrecordKelli andPeyton werereallyconfident in beingmorehonest andmore experimentalat the same time, whereasin the pastthey might’ve made the lyrics more poeticin orderto cloakthathonestya bit,”saysKurtis.And as their songs shift from devastating to exhilarating togloriouslycathartic, Skating Pollyhope to provide the same sense of solace they found in creating the album.“I’ve had people tell mewe’vehelped them get through a breakup or an abusive relationship orthe death of someone theyloved,and all these other heavy obstacleseveryone goes through,”saysKelli. “I feel like I’m notnecessarily the best person to draw a map on howtolive the happiest life, but I like the idea that oursongs can makeotherpeople’s lives better in some way. I want our music to be like armor.”